The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/447116
MICHIGAN FOOTBALL BIG TEN EAST HAS THE LAST LAUGH It wasn't too long ago that the Big Ten was regularly mocked, considered vastly inferior to the SEC, and beneath the Pac-12, Big 12 and even the ACC. And there was good reason for the slight — during bowl season, the con- ference had gone 14-24 from 2009-13. Over that span, the Big Ten was 4-10 against the SEC, 4-8 against the Big 12, 2-3 against the Pac-12 and 3-2 against the ACC (also 1-1 against non-Power Five conference schools), giving the majority of those conferences the right to boast about their superiority to the Big Ten. A non-conference slate in which the Big Ten went 6-11 against Power Five programs and Notre Dame also didn't help the league's argument it belonged on equal footing with the SEC, Pac-12, Big 12 and ACC. However, this bowl season, the Big Ten, primarily its East Division, has reclaimed its status among the nation's best. Overall, the Big Ten went 6-5 dur- ing the bowl season, ranking third in winning percentage behind the Pac-12 and SEC (see chart). The East Division, composed of Ohio State, Michigan State, Penn State, Rut- gers, Maryland, Michigan and Indiana — the latter two did not qualify for postseason contests — fared even bet- ter, going 5-11, with victories over the ACC (twice), the Big 12 and the SEC. With West Division Wisconsin's 34-31 overtime win against Auburn and Ohio State's 42-35 victory over Alabama in the NCAA semifinals, the Big Ten finished the bowl season 2-2 against the SEC (Minnesota and Iowa lost to Missouri and Tennessee, respec- tively), providing the league a .500 or better record against the Southeastern Conference for the first time since go- ing 2-1 in three bowl meetings in 2006. The Buckeyes then capped off the postseason with a 42-20 win against Oregon in the first annual College Football Playoff National Champion- ship, earning the Big Ten's first na- tional title since OSU won it all during the 2002 season. The conference now has two na- tional championships since 2000, equaling the ACC, the Big 12 and Pac-12. The SEC has won eight in the last 15 seasons. USC and LSU split the title in 2003. ❑ BOWL WINNING PERCENTAGE Conference Rec. Win Pct. Pac-12 6-3 .750 SEC 7-5 .583 Big Ten 6-5 .545 Big 12 3-4 .429 ACC 4-7 .364 Conference^, Division Rec. Win Pct. SEC, East 5-0 1.000 Big Ten, East 5-1 .833 Pac-12, South 4-1 .800 Pac-12, North 2-2 .500 ACC, Atlantic 2-3 .400 ACC, Coastal 2-4 .333 SEC, West 2-5 .286 Big Ten, West 1-4 .200 ^ The Big 12 is a Power Five conference without divisions